Mind-blowing Examples of Famous Brands Making the Most Out of Augmented Reality
Technology has been growing unbelievably fast, what can be done in ten years could be done in just a few months. The best part about it is that people are adopting it in their daily lives happily and getting uncountable advantages.
We have no idea where we will be standing in the next fifty years. One such aspect of technology is Augmented Reality. It has made its way through the market and fixed its roots deep into the various known brands.
There is no doubt in the fact that Augmented Reality has taken the first step to gain popularity. It’s anticipated that the global market of Augmented is going to accelerate massively. It’s been said that from earning $6.12 billion in 2021, it’s going to grow $97.76 billion by 2028. The figure tells clearly how Augmented Reality is going to revolutionise us.
Do you know that famous brands such as Walmart, Pull and Bear, IKEA studio APP, Amazon and Gucci have used Augmented reality for their business? Yes! These are the top famous Augmented Reality Brands. They have leveraged the most out of them as their customer experience has gotten better since then.
1. Virtual Reality VS Augmented Reality
There has been a misconception between Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality that both the terms are the same things. However, they both hold an enormous difference. I’m sure you know about the VR headset Oculus Quest and the AR game Pokemon Go. These both technologies sound alike but tend to have huge different characteristics. Anyone a bit technical can determine why they are not alike at all.
When you wear a VR headset it completely takes over your sight. When it’s not turned on you would feel like you are blindfolded. When it is on you it will give you an impression that you are somewhere else. The headset has OLED panels that are refracted by some lenses. These lenses make you see whatever is being displayed.
On the other hand, Augmented Reality shifts your vision. AR glasses like Microsoft HoloLens or many such glasses are transparent. These glasses enable you to see things in front of you. You get an impression of wearing a weak pair of sunglasses.
This particular technology has been devised for free movement as it casts images everywhere you look at that is the reason it’s been mentioned above that it’s going to revolutionise smartphones.
2. Experience of Augmented Reality
It’s very tough for the brands to keep the customers intact and engaged. Due to which brands lose their potential customers. With the help of Augmented Reality, such devices have been devised to bring the real-life experience to draw customers closer like magnets.
Following are some tips to use AR smartly for your brands to get a better experience:
- New and better learning opportunities through AR.
In a survey, it’s been explored that adding Augmented Reality into your lessons enhances the understanding of the students. As it gives students an experience of the lab.
- It gives access to test products.
Augmented Reality enables customers to test a product without leaving their seats via smartphones. It gives such an amazing and comfortable experience to the customers that around 88% of small companies have already started to use AR. Sephora came up with a feature that lets the customers try new to make up on their faces before ordering.
3. How are brands using Augmented Reality in their business?
Augmented reality has increased the level of marketing for brands. It provides amazing and immersive digital experiences while outstandingly connecting customers.
Here are some famous brands using Augmented Reality in their business:
- Walmart:
Walmart turned its four stores into physical retail stores to enhance the speed of inventory control back in 2020. An augmented reality app has been designed to do so. Instead of getting each box scanned, a handheld device is used to highlight the boxes ready to be used.
- Gucci:
Gucci was the very first Augmented Reality brand to use its feature. It enables the customers to try a pair of virtual sneakers through an App that is designed to be only worn and shared online.
- IKEA studio App:
To create a more engaging and immersive experience for the customers IKEA has revamped its Place App. The app is operated from an iPhone using LiDAR sensors; it lets customers get complete 3D room plans from doors, walls, rugs to window colours. It’s so effective that one can easily redesign everything according to his personal preferences.
- Amazon hair colouring salon:
Amazon Salon was first set up to trail new retail technology. One of the examples of it is ‘Point and Learn’, Amazon explains that the only thing customers need to do is point at a product on a display shelf they are planning to buy. All the information about it will appear on the display screen. If a customer wants to buy the product he can simply scan the QR code on the display shelf to visit the page of the product on its e-commerce website.
Now to enhance customers’ experience another feature has been added to experiment with the shades of the hair. Before getting their hair done customers can easily try them using AR technology.
- Sephora – Virtual Artist:
Sephora’s Virtual Artist tool has been known since 2016 via its main app. Now it has been modified with the help of Augmented Reality Technology of course. Customers can easily check what they would look like in the lipstick shade they are planning to buy. It scans lips and eyes to try new lip colours, eye shadows and eyelashes through Modiface technology.
4. The Outcome of Brands Using Augmented Reality In Their Businesses
All the brands that have used Augmented Reality technology have received huge positive outcomes. For example, when Walmart started using the Augmented Reality App it speeds up the time of transporting items from the back store to the sales floor.
Similarly, Amazon has driven several sales after using Augmented Technology’s app. The App also helps to save a lot of customers time and money and as they have already tried a particular hair shade they always go satisfied. Hence, Amazon ends up with a potential long term client.
The same goes for Sephora and Gucci. The best element Gucci won through AR technology is that customers would not be coming back to return the product.
5. What is possible with Augmented Reality?
There is no doubt that Augmented Reality has introduced new ways of working. Shortly, it’s going to give so much to the World that the entire mentality will be shifted. Companies with Forward-thinking would use it to train new employees. It would also help companies troubleshoot new products before launching them.
Such benefits would become the real source of growth projection of the AR market. A Grid Raster Survey presented that many companies are thinking of collaborating with the AR market to minimise the drawback of the COVID-19.
Microsoft came up with the HoloLens 2. It’s a holographic computer about which Microsoft calls the “ultimate mixed reality device.” It’s a bridge between a digital and physical world.
Julie White, Microsoft Corporate Vice President says “We’re now in a place where this technology is solving real-world problems. You can begin to see what this new wave of computing looks like and how it translates into real business outcomes.”
There are endless opportunities possible with Augmented Reality.
6. What Key Points Can Other Businesses Learn From Brands That Are Already Using Augmented Reality?
There is not one but numerous key points that other brands can learn from the brands that have opted for Augmented Reality into their business. As it will enhance the brand value in no time. It will give your customers a unique and immersive experience that helps you to have a long term relationship with them.
It will also eliminate cognitive overload. It will boost the engagement of the users. You know how important user engagement is. You can say that AR is the gateway to it and has many other benefits.
With all that said, Augmented Reality will also give a competitive differentiation to your brands. As traditional marketing strategies have become outdated now. Using a completely different and novel approach would help gain popularity